Slash McCoy
I freehand dog rockets
Never used one so I don't know.
My Straight Razor Checklist
- Thread starter Tester28
- Start date
Never used one so I don't know.
- Thread starter
- #42
Spent time at a crafts store looking for balsa planks today. The ones I saw were
about 3" wide and 36" long. So I figure they could be cut into 4 pieces of 9"X3"
....so far so good.
Just looking for a recco on what sort of thickness will be good....I'd like to
avoid gluing these to basswood or marble etc...so I can paste or spray both sides.
The thicknesses available are: 1/4", 3/8", 0.37", 0.49", 0.98" (all inches).
What thickness would you guys recommend?
about 3" wide and 36" long. So I figure they could be cut into 4 pieces of 9"X3"
....so far so good.
Just looking for a recco on what sort of thickness will be good....I'd like to
avoid gluing these to basswood or marble etc...so I can paste or spray both sides.
The thicknesses available are: 1/4", 3/8", 0.37", 0.49", 0.98" (all inches).
What thickness would you guys recommend?
Attachments
Slash McCoy
I freehand dog rockets
1/4" thick glued to 3/4" thick acrylic makes a great pasted balsa strop. 3/8" thick would be okay, too. Half inch? One inch? Honestly I think if you get it thicker, you run more risk of swelling which would require more frequent re-lapping. And it costs more for thicker stuff. 1/4" works nicely. Thinner and you can't re-lap and refresh as many times, and you would want thicker acrylic to keep the fingers out of danger. Did I mention you really should use this in hand, and not resting on a bench? Cut your 36" plank into THREE pieces. You will be glad you did. You WANT 12" of length. Trust me on this. You also want another 12" piece, 3" wide, of the acrylic for use with lapping film. Cut your film in thirds, lengthwise so you have 11' long pieces. Don't limit yourself to a peewee pipsqueak honing surface because those extra few inches are not expensive as they would be when buying a stone.
So, get your balsa. Get your acrylic. Glue them together. Lap the balsa on a whole sheet of sandpaper. Start with 150 grit or 220 grit and go until you have a completely fresh surface. Then switch to 400 grit and do the same. Optionally, do it again on 1k grit paper.
Brush away all the sawdust. Wipe down with a cotton tshirt. Apply diamond paste. It should look like you don't even have 1/10 as much as you need. Less is more. Spread it around, rub it in. Since you probably will STILL put too much, wipe the balsa down with another cotton tshirt. Begin with the finest grit you will use, .1u or one tenth of a micron. Then do the .25u and then the .5u. This way you might contaminate the coarser grit with a finer one, but that's not a problem. At least you won't contaminate a finer grit with a coarser one, which would totally render the finer grit strop useless.
Once again, before you buy, you might want to review the pasted balsa strop thread. Read it to the end. If you do it this way, it WILL WORK. If you don't, then maybe it will kind of work. Your choice.
Hone and Strop responsibly! This message brought to you by Americans for a Better Shave.
So, get your balsa. Get your acrylic. Glue them together. Lap the balsa on a whole sheet of sandpaper. Start with 150 grit or 220 grit and go until you have a completely fresh surface. Then switch to 400 grit and do the same. Optionally, do it again on 1k grit paper.
Brush away all the sawdust. Wipe down with a cotton tshirt. Apply diamond paste. It should look like you don't even have 1/10 as much as you need. Less is more. Spread it around, rub it in. Since you probably will STILL put too much, wipe the balsa down with another cotton tshirt. Begin with the finest grit you will use, .1u or one tenth of a micron. Then do the .25u and then the .5u. This way you might contaminate the coarser grit with a finer one, but that's not a problem. At least you won't contaminate a finer grit with a coarser one, which would totally render the finer grit strop useless.
Once again, before you buy, you might want to review the pasted balsa strop thread. Read it to the end. If you do it this way, it WILL WORK. If you don't, then maybe it will kind of work. Your choice.
Hone and Strop responsibly! This message brought to you by Americans for a Better Shave.
Steve56
Ask me about shaving naked!
The Maggard loupe is pretty good for the price, it’s has a large diameter so even though the edge performance is lacking, there’s enough center to get the job done. But @bluesman 7 is correct, it’s no where near 30x IMO, 12-15x is more like it. I gave mine away but will probably replace it next time that I order from them just as an add-on.
A Belomo or a Hastings Triplet is better. A 7x Hastings is my loupe of choice for critical work. Much less distortion, aberrations, and color fringing makes inspecting the apex of the bevel considerably easier.
A Belomo or a Hastings Triplet is better. A 7x Hastings is my loupe of choice for critical work. Much less distortion, aberrations, and color fringing makes inspecting the apex of the bevel considerably easier.
What he said.
The risk with thicker boards is that wood expands and contracts with moisture fluctuations along the rings. Since the rings wrap around the tree, the expansion and contraction affects each board differently depending how the rings are oriented when the board is cut from the tree. If you’re getting lumber sized boards there’s a good chance you’re getting “flat sawn” grain, which means changes in humidity will make the board cup or bow and if all your other honing is on flat surfaces you’ll suddenly have a surface just enough out of flat to be less effective or only hit certain spots on an edge and you might not even notice in use.
By taking a thinner slice of balsa and gluing it to something more dimensionally stable, you’ve just made a perfectly flat wood surface that stays flat.
Two sided embedded media strops are a silly idea anyways- how do you set it down anywhere?! It’ll just accumulate whatever contaminants are on the table you set it on so you’re not keeping a nice flat clean .1mu loaded surface.
- Thread starter
- #46
Cool...I will get the 1/4" thick balsa then. I'm going to start with just using the 0.5 mic. green
paste on one side and maybe the 0.1 micron red paste on the other.
Do I really need the acrylic board?
I plan on staying with the above arrangement for a while. If something is lacking, or I don't
like the results, I'll explore the diamond pastes/sprays.
I also have a bench strop made of horse hide on order...it has one rough and one smooth side.
Now that I'm planning on making the balsa strop and testing it, I think I'll leave the bench
strop naked for a while, and maybe use it to practise stropping for a few weeks.
Re: Loupes....I found a Belomo 10X and a 20X....funnily enough, the 20X is cheaper than the 10X.
What gives?
paste on one side and maybe the 0.1 micron red paste on the other.
Do I really need the acrylic board?
I plan on staying with the above arrangement for a while. If something is lacking, or I don't
like the results, I'll explore the diamond pastes/sprays.
I also have a bench strop made of horse hide on order...it has one rough and one smooth side.
Now that I'm planning on making the balsa strop and testing it, I think I'll leave the bench
strop naked for a while, and maybe use it to practise stropping for a few weeks.
Re: Loupes....I found a Belomo 10X and a 20X....funnily enough, the 20X is cheaper than the 10X.
What gives?
- Thread starter
- #47
Ok...this explains why I need the acrylic board backing....cheers.
Slash McCoy
I freehand dog rockets
Yes. You need a rigid substrate that does not flex or warp. Otherwise, lapping the balsa is irrelevant. I would skip the green and red paste. You want diamond. Red and green have been used, with mediocre results, for generations. Go with diamond if you want the results to be impressive. And use the three step progression. When you have your edge dialed in, you can maintain your razor in extremely sharp condition indefinitely by stropping on the .1u after every shave. I never have to re-hone my razors.
Here is the link to the Pasted Balsa Strop thread.
Your razor, of course, and there is no real need to have your razor sharp. Many men shave with dull straight razors. But if you want your razor as sharp as it can be made, and a shave that is more comfortable than what you get from ultra fine synthetic stones, this is for you.
Here is the link to the Pasted Balsa Strop thread.
Your razor, of course, and there is no real need to have your razor sharp. Many men shave with dull straight razors. But if you want your razor as sharp as it can be made, and a shave that is more comfortable than what you get from ultra fine synthetic stones, this is for you.
Chan Eil Whiskers
Fumbling about.
I have the green and also this red and black. I think you could easily get by with this product alone (it is two pastes) in lieu of a finishing stone finer than the one you've mentioned. There's a thread about the subject.
Lots of ways to skin the cat.
Happy shaves,
Jim
Slash McCoy
I freehand dog rockets
Oh, you do have a hanging strop, right? TBH I don't believe bench strops serve any useful purpose for most shavers. A hanging strop is better and a bench strop does nothing that a hanging strop cannot do. YMMV. They have plenty of fans.
Where are you located? If you have a CONUS address, maybe I have a strop I can send you. I have to look. I might have an Xbay somewhere I don't need, or some leftover leather I can make a small beginner strop from. Won't cost you anything. I just want to encourage you to walk down the path most traveled as you begin your shave journey. The detours and alternate routes can eventually get you there but lots of guys give up on straight shaving because they don't have a sharp and smooth edge to shave with or a method for maintaining it, or proper shave and prep equipment or useful shaving method.
The two loupes are from the same source? Both triples? I can only guess that the 10x is higher quality.
Magnification is very much a personal preference. Either one will work. Either one will give you a window into the apex and the scratch pattern. Me, I like how handy a loupe is. Pick it up and look through it. Done. However I prefer a USB microscope at around 100x. I also have a proper lab/classroom type microscope with a USB cam eyepiece and I have enjoyed and been greatly enlightened by 2000x pics of my Method edges. The happy medium is the 100x class of USB microscopes which can be had really really cheap. You can also get clamp-on microscopes that attach to your phone and use the phone's cam and screen for viewing or taking pics. You don't NEED high quality optics. A bit of distortion won't hurt anything. Again, preference is involved and you may appreciate the very good optical qualities of a good loupe. ALL of these magnification resources work best with a very good light source. Often, especially with a loupe, you will be rocking the razor and watching the reflection off the bevel or off edge dings or a dull or toppled apex.
- Thread starter
- #51
Yes, I have a 3" TM steer hide hanging strop and a horse hide bench strop on the way.
I don't mind the bench strop just to practise stropping on a flat surface with no flex initially.
I might coat the rough side of it with some 0.25 mic. diamond paste later.
For the loupe I think I like the 10X Belomo as it has a generous viewing area of 21mm.
The 20X is only 7mm.
I'm going to throw everything at this to make it succeed, and greatly appreciate all the awesome advice
so far.
I don't mind the bench strop just to practise stropping on a flat surface with no flex initially.
I might coat the rough side of it with some 0.25 mic. diamond paste later.
For the loupe I think I like the 10X Belomo as it has a generous viewing area of 21mm.
The 20X is only 7mm.
I'm going to throw everything at this to make it succeed, and greatly appreciate all the awesome advice
so far.
Slash McCoy
I freehand dog rockets
Oh well the TM will be a terrific strop! Better than the one I was thinking to send you.
Chan Eil Whiskers
Fumbling about.
I have the 10X Belomo, but actually use the cheap lighted loupe more. It seems to me to be actually 10X and not 20X. I'm not knocking the Belomo as it has great optics, but I like the light (and the batteries are cheap and replaceable). The cheap Plugable works well too when modified (there's a thread on it, but you have to modify it IMO).
I'd get a cheap strop (like the one Slash mentions) to learn on (and cut making beginner mistakes). The TM will be a keeper.
Happy shaves,
Jim
- Thread starter
- #54
I will get the balsa this weekend and start prepping it.
Just have some questions as Im not a DIY guy per se.
1. How do I cut the balsa....I don't have a saw at home altho I've read a pen knife will do the trick.
What I do have is a Leatherman Wave tool that has both a fairly sharp knife and a saw arm.
Wonder if it will work?
2. Should I stick the balsa to the acrylic before lapping? Or after coating it with compound?
Can I just use the normal 3M canned glue spray?
3. Where do you buy your diamond pastes from...and are the sprays equally effective on balsa?
4. One acrylic block seems to cost more than all the balsa planks combined...are there any other
backing options?
Just have some questions as Im not a DIY guy per se.
1. How do I cut the balsa....I don't have a saw at home altho I've read a pen knife will do the trick.
What I do have is a Leatherman Wave tool that has both a fairly sharp knife and a saw arm.
Wonder if it will work?
2. Should I stick the balsa to the acrylic before lapping? Or after coating it with compound?
Can I just use the normal 3M canned glue spray?
3. Where do you buy your diamond pastes from...and are the sprays equally effective on balsa?
4. One acrylic block seems to cost more than all the balsa planks combined...are there any other
backing options?
Slash McCoy
I freehand dog rockets
You can use a straightedge or a speed square or a trysquare or a framing square or whatever, and a utility knife to do the cut. Or a sharp pocketknife. Or draw a line using a pencil and your straightedge, and use the little saw on your leatherman but for 1/4" a very sharp knife will work fine and not tear up the balsa. Simple way that requires no cutting skill would be a speed square and a boxcutter type utility knife with a fresh blade in it.
Yes, stick the balsa to the plate before lapping. Otherwise the balsa will be flexing while you are trying to lap it.
I have been getting my diamond paste from fleabay, mostly Chinese sources. For higher quality assurance, try Ted Pella. I don't believe sprays to be as good but I have never tried them. I do know that pastes work very very well. At this point, you do not want variables. You want constants. You are dealing with a hundred factors in making and keeping a shaveworthy edge. If half of those options or choices are untested or unvouched or admitted to be second best choices, you will fail to achieve excellence. You really want there to be zero unknowns your first attempts, so you can concentrate on technique and following directions precisely. Go with what you know will work. Later, experiment. You can add to our body of knowledge. But until you have a few edges to your credit, using proven methods to the letter will make your learning process go quickly, smoothly, and effectively. This is why I harp on all these details so much. I want to see you achieve success and not frustration, doubt, and confusion.
See the Newbie Honing Compendium sticky in the Honing forum. Read read read. Beginning to end, including all the linked threads you find in there. The first page is not enough because with collaboration and peer review and testing, the methods and materials used can change a good bit over months or years, and those changes are reflected in posts throughout the duration of the thread.
I get my acrylic from TAP plastics. They are pretty cheap. I think somewhere around $12 for one 12" x 3" block. Cheaper for thinner stuff but I most vigorously recommend at least 3/4" thick stock. Do not use wood. Acrylic works. Aluminum would work. Remember you need some thickness, though. Polished marble floor or edge tile is what I used to use but acrylic is lighter and thicker. The acrylic is seriously good and not expensive. And it receives zero wear so it lasts forever. It is virtually unbreakable in normal use, including drops onto a floor. Don't be scared to buy acrylic after springing for a brand new Koraat razor or considering the purchase of stones. The acrylic, balsa, sandpaper and lapping film altogether are still cheaper than one good synthetic finishing stone, and will get the job positively done with the best possible results.
Yes, stick the balsa to the plate before lapping. Otherwise the balsa will be flexing while you are trying to lap it.
I have been getting my diamond paste from fleabay, mostly Chinese sources. For higher quality assurance, try Ted Pella. I don't believe sprays to be as good but I have never tried them. I do know that pastes work very very well. At this point, you do not want variables. You want constants. You are dealing with a hundred factors in making and keeping a shaveworthy edge. If half of those options or choices are untested or unvouched or admitted to be second best choices, you will fail to achieve excellence. You really want there to be zero unknowns your first attempts, so you can concentrate on technique and following directions precisely. Go with what you know will work. Later, experiment. You can add to our body of knowledge. But until you have a few edges to your credit, using proven methods to the letter will make your learning process go quickly, smoothly, and effectively. This is why I harp on all these details so much. I want to see you achieve success and not frustration, doubt, and confusion.
See the Newbie Honing Compendium sticky in the Honing forum. Read read read. Beginning to end, including all the linked threads you find in there. The first page is not enough because with collaboration and peer review and testing, the methods and materials used can change a good bit over months or years, and those changes are reflected in posts throughout the duration of the thread.
I get my acrylic from TAP plastics. They are pretty cheap. I think somewhere around $12 for one 12" x 3" block. Cheaper for thinner stuff but I most vigorously recommend at least 3/4" thick stock. Do not use wood. Acrylic works. Aluminum would work. Remember you need some thickness, though. Polished marble floor or edge tile is what I used to use but acrylic is lighter and thicker. The acrylic is seriously good and not expensive. And it receives zero wear so it lasts forever. It is virtually unbreakable in normal use, including drops onto a floor. Don't be scared to buy acrylic after springing for a brand new Koraat razor or considering the purchase of stones. The acrylic, balsa, sandpaper and lapping film altogether are still cheaper than one good synthetic finishing stone, and will get the job positively done with the best possible results.
I just received my Koraat and couldn't be happier with my purchase. I emailed Ulrick and he told me he uses cloth tape on the spine to hone. The cloth tape he uses measures .15mm.
I am relatively new to honing and only hone my own razors. If the person who honed the razor uses tape, I use tape. In my mind it keeps the geometry. Not sure how crucial this is. Perhaps another member can chime in on the subject.
Here is a picture of mine just because everyone loves pics.
I am relatively new to honing and only hone my own razors. If the person who honed the razor uses tape, I use tape. In my mind it keeps the geometry. Not sure how crucial this is. Perhaps another member can chime in on the subject.
Here is a picture of mine just because everyone loves pics.
- Thread starter
- #57
I picked up some cloth tape yesterday for $1...I realise some people advocate using it to preserve geometry,
some are against it. My thoughts upon seeing that 7/8 Koraat blade is that it is so generously proportioned,
it would never wear out. And since most honing strokes require little or no pressure, unless setting a bevel,
I imagine no tape wouldn't be a disaster. I'll stick a tape on because I just want to protect the spine. I guess
it might also be of help in case the razor needs to be sold. Kind of like how people use a silicon washer
to protect the underside of the DE razor head.
Speaking of my Koraat, I gave it the HHT...on some spots, it edited a metallic 'ping' sound as the hair was severed,
on others no. I'll be giving it a test strop of about 10-15 laps when my strop arrives and give it a test shave.
Slash McCoy
I freehand dog rockets
Tape does not preserve the geometry. It does just the opposite, because it does not allow the spine thickness to wear normally and proportionally with the edge. You cannot protect the edge from honing wear and still be honing. You should be able to visualize what happens when the blade gets narrower but not thinner. This takes years, yes. But that razor could be usable for well over a hundred years if honed normally. Not trying to tell you what to do with your razor, but don't be misconceived on the tape / no tape issue. In the short term, the bevel angle is changed only by the thickness added to the spine by a layer of tape. In the long term, lack of normal honing contact with the spine gradually and cumulatively changes the bevel angle.
Even the minimal short term effect kinda messes you up with maintenance stropping on pasted balsa. You get less edge contact due to the more obtuse bevel angle at the edge, without the elevation of the tape. You could of course tape the spine for daily maintenance stropping on the balsa, but I believe you would be gumming up the grain of the balsa with vinyl and gum. Plus it would be a PITA. So for practical purposes, it greatly reduces the effectiveness of Method style maintenance of the edge. Only a minority of us do the balsa strop thing, and the rest don't bother, and have usually no complaints about their edges though they must occasionally be re-honed. The pasted balsa is not absolutely essential, but it is the way to get and keep a superior edge, and it is a shame to do anything that would make it a non starter.
Keep in mind also that vinyl electrical tape was not even invented until 1946. What did guys do before that? They simply honed their razors normally. And probably nobody ever thought to use tape until ? and it did not become a trend until Al Gore invented the internet. The modern hollowground razor has been around for over a hundred years, and when first conceived, it was never imagined that anyone would try to prevent normal honing wear. That is, after all, the whole point of honing.
There are razors that through poor design or workmanship or bad honing will have too acute a bevel angle. These are not common, but they exist. In this case, tape can be necessary to let edge wear catch up and make the width proportional to the thickness. You should measure and calculate to verify this, before automatically honing with tape thinking maybe the angle is too acute. Even an experienced eye can be a whole degree off when estimating bevel angle.
There is a great schism between those who think of a razor as jewelry or a work of art, and those who think of it as a tool that should be maintained at the peak of usability. Some razors practically beg to be lovingly polished and cared for and displayed with pride. I get that. And that is a perfectly valid reason to use tape. Or better yet, never hone at all. There are indeed some pretty razors out there. But pretty don't shave. All of my razors are tools for efficient beard removal. I treat them as such. I don't protect the teeth of my saws or the head of my hammers from the effects of normal use. And I don't try to make my razor appear to be never used, either, at least in any way that will affect the shave now or tomorrow or two generations from now.
Either way, tool or jewelry, gives good results in efficiency or in beauty. Take your pick. When you try to ride somewhere in the middle, have your cake and eat it too, you have to make compromises somewhere. The middle ground, where you try to keep the razor's spine looking as new while the edge is worn away, but still expecting it to be a regular shaver, gets pretty shaky after a number of years. In the very short term, no biggie. It is being shortsighted and ignoring the future use of a very fine TOOL, though.
Just trying to educate. You got to make your own decision. I am just filling in the background that is not as obvious as the "preserve the spine" dogma.
This is the main reason I do not take in honing, as a rule. I do my thing my way and I am not burger king and I will not do it "your way" and I don't need the heat or controversy. When I PIF or sell or lend a razor is the only time my edges go out into the wild. And they are honed without tape unless they need tape for some actual physical reason. I am not and never intend to be a "professional honemeister". Those that are, generally have to make concessions to customer demand and that is quite understandable. It is just a pity that the whole "hone wear" thing is so misunderstood by the general shaving public. Without hone wear, the edge would remain forever dull. The very definition of honing is to wear away all steel that lies outside the bevel plane.
And now a few words about stropping. If the seller sent you a razor that is truly shave ready, you owe it to yourself to just shave with it the first time without stropping. The seller stropped it and you should be able to go right into your first shave. For subsequent shaves yes, you should strop. But 10 or 12 laps is generally not enough. Most of us go somewhere between 40 and 60 laps. YMMV. Be sure to watch some stropping videos and read some stropping threads before your first time at bat. It is possible to devastate your strop or your razor's edge through improper stropping. Make sure you know exactly what you are doing before you touch steel to leather. You could practice the motion with a suitably dull razor, or a butter knife or something. Remember to always keep the spine on the strop. To change direction at the end of the stroke, always lift the EDGE and flip it over, never the spine. Don't ride the shoulder on the strop. Use a slight X motion as you strop, even if your strop is wide enough to take the whole blade. Don't be too surprised or heartbroken if you nick the edge of your strop. You can sand it out and keep using it. After you have gained proficiency, with most strops assembled with chicago screws instead of sewing, you can flip the leather end for end so that the damaged edge is away from your stropping hand. This is one reason I always make my strops with a D ring at each end, and no fabric component. I can swap ends just by hanging the other end up. Keep this in mind if and when you shop for a replacement.
If the seller did not strop, then yes, certainly, strop the razor. Give it a good four dozen laps, though. More is okay, it won't hurt anything, it just doesn't give much improvement, and each lap is another chance to screw up. Don't let your attention wander.
Even the minimal short term effect kinda messes you up with maintenance stropping on pasted balsa. You get less edge contact due to the more obtuse bevel angle at the edge, without the elevation of the tape. You could of course tape the spine for daily maintenance stropping on the balsa, but I believe you would be gumming up the grain of the balsa with vinyl and gum. Plus it would be a PITA. So for practical purposes, it greatly reduces the effectiveness of Method style maintenance of the edge. Only a minority of us do the balsa strop thing, and the rest don't bother, and have usually no complaints about their edges though they must occasionally be re-honed. The pasted balsa is not absolutely essential, but it is the way to get and keep a superior edge, and it is a shame to do anything that would make it a non starter.
Keep in mind also that vinyl electrical tape was not even invented until 1946. What did guys do before that? They simply honed their razors normally. And probably nobody ever thought to use tape until ? and it did not become a trend until Al Gore invented the internet. The modern hollowground razor has been around for over a hundred years, and when first conceived, it was never imagined that anyone would try to prevent normal honing wear. That is, after all, the whole point of honing.
There are razors that through poor design or workmanship or bad honing will have too acute a bevel angle. These are not common, but they exist. In this case, tape can be necessary to let edge wear catch up and make the width proportional to the thickness. You should measure and calculate to verify this, before automatically honing with tape thinking maybe the angle is too acute. Even an experienced eye can be a whole degree off when estimating bevel angle.
There is a great schism between those who think of a razor as jewelry or a work of art, and those who think of it as a tool that should be maintained at the peak of usability. Some razors practically beg to be lovingly polished and cared for and displayed with pride. I get that. And that is a perfectly valid reason to use tape. Or better yet, never hone at all. There are indeed some pretty razors out there. But pretty don't shave. All of my razors are tools for efficient beard removal. I treat them as such. I don't protect the teeth of my saws or the head of my hammers from the effects of normal use. And I don't try to make my razor appear to be never used, either, at least in any way that will affect the shave now or tomorrow or two generations from now.
Either way, tool or jewelry, gives good results in efficiency or in beauty. Take your pick. When you try to ride somewhere in the middle, have your cake and eat it too, you have to make compromises somewhere. The middle ground, where you try to keep the razor's spine looking as new while the edge is worn away, but still expecting it to be a regular shaver, gets pretty shaky after a number of years. In the very short term, no biggie. It is being shortsighted and ignoring the future use of a very fine TOOL, though.
Just trying to educate. You got to make your own decision. I am just filling in the background that is not as obvious as the "preserve the spine" dogma.
This is the main reason I do not take in honing, as a rule. I do my thing my way and I am not burger king and I will not do it "your way" and I don't need the heat or controversy. When I PIF or sell or lend a razor is the only time my edges go out into the wild. And they are honed without tape unless they need tape for some actual physical reason. I am not and never intend to be a "professional honemeister". Those that are, generally have to make concessions to customer demand and that is quite understandable. It is just a pity that the whole "hone wear" thing is so misunderstood by the general shaving public. Without hone wear, the edge would remain forever dull. The very definition of honing is to wear away all steel that lies outside the bevel plane.
And now a few words about stropping. If the seller sent you a razor that is truly shave ready, you owe it to yourself to just shave with it the first time without stropping. The seller stropped it and you should be able to go right into your first shave. For subsequent shaves yes, you should strop. But 10 or 12 laps is generally not enough. Most of us go somewhere between 40 and 60 laps. YMMV. Be sure to watch some stropping videos and read some stropping threads before your first time at bat. It is possible to devastate your strop or your razor's edge through improper stropping. Make sure you know exactly what you are doing before you touch steel to leather. You could practice the motion with a suitably dull razor, or a butter knife or something. Remember to always keep the spine on the strop. To change direction at the end of the stroke, always lift the EDGE and flip it over, never the spine. Don't ride the shoulder on the strop. Use a slight X motion as you strop, even if your strop is wide enough to take the whole blade. Don't be too surprised or heartbroken if you nick the edge of your strop. You can sand it out and keep using it. After you have gained proficiency, with most strops assembled with chicago screws instead of sewing, you can flip the leather end for end so that the damaged edge is away from your stropping hand. This is one reason I always make my strops with a D ring at each end, and no fabric component. I can swap ends just by hanging the other end up. Keep this in mind if and when you shop for a replacement.
If the seller did not strop, then yes, certainly, strop the razor. Give it a good four dozen laps, though. More is okay, it won't hurt anything, it just doesn't give much improvement, and each lap is another chance to screw up. Don't let your attention wander.
Chan Eil Whiskers
Fumbling about.
I doubt you will wear it wear it out. The main reason people use tape is to protect the spine against wear. Unless we are talking about wedges, then it's to achieve a thin bevel.
The preservation of geometry I was referring to was from spine to edge, short term. If the honemeister uses tape and you do not, when honing you will not hone the edge. You will hone the start of the bevel. If they do not use tape and you do, you will create a second "micro" bevel. I've read some do this intentionally.
As mentioned, honing without tape, the spine wears with the edge preserving that geometry. I am only referring to the geometry set by the honemeister and refreshing the edge when it becomes dull.
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